Japanese serial killer Shiraishi charged with 2nd murder

Kyodo News

TOKYO - Police charged Takahiro Shiraishi with the October murder of a 25-year-old woman Monday, the second such warrant served on the man who admitted to killing and dismembering nine people at his apartment near Tokyo.

Shiraishi, 27, is suspected of killing Yokohama resident Kazumi Maruyama and stashing her body at his apartment in Zama. The victim had gone missing on Oct. 18, investigative sources said.

Police discovered a cellphone believed to belong to Maruyama in a garbage bag in Shiraishi's room, the sources said.

Although many of his victims had posted suicidal thoughts on Twitter and other social media networks, Shiraishi told police that he thinks none really wanted to die as they resisted his attacks, the sources said.

Shiraishi was taken into custody in late October and charged approximately three weeks later for the alleged murder of Aiko Tamura, 23, at his Kanagawa Prefecture apartment. Tamura went missing on Oct. 23.

Police are continuing their investigation into the fates of the remaining seven victims to see if they can lay further murder charges.

The unfolding murder case sent shockwaves across Japan. Shiraishi is believed to have approached his victims online before luring them to his apartment.

Eight of his victims were female and one male, all aged between 15 and 26. Their dismembered bodies were discovered in cooling boxes in his apartment.